"Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs have breathed new life into the computer industry by providing an incredibly fast and smart processor that can appeal to mainstream users by condensing and simplifying a lot of options. The biggest barrier to entry in the PC realm has been the complexity issue, and this was definitely a step in the right direction. However, this was not something everyone was too happy about, as many enthusiasts disliked the way Intel had limited overclockability by only allowing K-series CPUs to be modified, and even then, were limited to the very basic of options. "

"The Intel Smart Response Technology component of the Z68 is a great way for users who may not, for a variety of reasons, be able to use an SSD for their main OS but want an extra boost in performance that only an SSD can bring. Along with Intel releasing a relatively inexpensive 20GB SSD, consumers who have waited to upgrade to the Sandy Bridge platform may now have the incentive they need..."

With Sandy Bridge Intel managed to catch up to the AMD and NVIDIA entry level graphic performance. With this step comes a new challenge for the driver programmers to catch up, patching for new and old games and keep the compatibility up, what was quite an issue in the past. With Intel promising improvement in this area, HT4U.ne takes a look at driver version 15.22.1.64.2361.

Unlike our watches that tick-tock thirty times a minute, Intel has
tweaked their clock so that it tick-tocks twice a year, in order to,
among other things, remind us that it's time for improving existing
technology. This year's “tock” brings us a new microarchitecture,
codenamed Sandy Bridge. We've already covered the theoretical aspects of
Sandy Bridge in two separate articles recently; well, perhaps not
theoretical, but certainly without a tangible model in front of us to
provide us with first-hand results. The previous articles were based on
the information released to the public by Intel, as well as some that
found their way out in spite of Intel's will. The time has finally come
for us to see whether the words of Intel's representatives about
energy-efficient performance, major advancements in the graphics field,
Turbo Boost technology optimisation etc. ring true and are truly based
on actual results...

Intel will release its Z68 chipsets in the first half of May, with Gigabyte Technology likely to be the first major motherboard maker to launch Z68-based products as soon as its embargo expires. Gigabyte's offerings will include its top-end GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 model.

Motherboard makers have also reportedly been informed that Intel will focus more on its Z- and H-series chipsets.

The share of P67-series motherboards will begin dropping once the Z68 is launched and the segment will gradually be phased out, with the P-series not being included in Intel's next generation chipsets.

"Today Xigmatek are launching the Elysium, a case with HPTX compatibility and we have one of the first samples on our test bench to find out if it has the quality and features to compete with other high end models."

"Earlier this month benchmarks were published on Phoronix
showing the GCC 4.6 compiler performance with AVX support under Intel's
new Sandy Bridge processors that are the first to provide Advanced
Vector Extensions support. The Core i5 2500K CPU performance is already
great under Linux, but once more Linux software supports taking
advantage of this latest cross-vendor instruction set, there will be
even more speed-ups. While the Low-Level Virtual Machine does not yet
have full support for taking advantage of the Advanced Vector Extensions
support, in this article we are looking at how the latest development
code for LLVM 2.9 and the Clang compiler are performing on Intel's Sandy
Bridge in relation to GCC."

We have reported earlier that Intel has started P67 B3 production last week and shipment to customers has resumed. Interestingly, Intel has also started production of their Z68 chipset this week along with other Cougar Point SKUs like H61 and Q65. All of them are based on the new B3 stepping therefore the SATA port 2-5 issue is fixed before they hit the market. Judging from the specs, it seems Intel has catered Z68 specially for enthusiasts which allows better processor overclocking, discrete graphics support and SSD caching capability. With these enhancements, Intel has priced the Z68 chipset some US$8 higher than the P67 counterpart. The launch for the Z68 chipset is slated for first week of May.

"I know when we took a look at the ARES from Galaxis a lot of the finer details such as pricing and availability were sketchy at best. Today I have more information about the chassis in the Galaxis lineup, and I am pleased to bring you yet another mid tower chassis from Galaxis. Looking at the ARES, I saw some things that were right as rain for the design, but I also found a couple of finer points that make the case a little tough to use, depending on hardware. But all in all, it was still a decent case for the price.
Today we are taking a close look at the Atlus from Galaxis. Now, this is sort of the "little brother" to the ARES, but don't let that fool you. I based that comment on pricing alone. While the ARES has its own look, the Atlus provides a less flashy exterior, but keeps most components of the ARES; just this time, ever so slightly different."

"Technically, Thunderbolt is pretty interesting as both data
and display signals will transfer over the same cable with arbitration
from the controller chip. It is a bi-directional communication that
actually provides 10 Gbps of bandwidth PER PORT. It remains backwards
compatible with existing DisplayPort displays, but since those devices
likely do NOT have female mini-DisplayPort connections on them, they
will not facilitate the daisy-chaining required for connecting
multiple devices to a single Thunderbolt connection. Unlike what some
people worried, Thunderbolt will carry some amount of power over
cable, though how much hasn't really been specified yet. Thunderbolt can work on both data streams at the same time and in both directions and it seems to get the full 10 Gbps of rated bandwidth, in each direction. This is what gives the technology the advantage over the USB 3.0 of today. "

Intel earlier disclosed a design issue with a support chip, the Intel 6 series that has the potential to impact certain PC system configurations. The company has said it subsequently initiated extensive discussions with computer makers about this topic. As a result of these discussions and specific customer requests, Intel noted it is resuming shipments of the chipsets for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue.

As expected, AMD officially launched its Fusion APU platform today, the day before the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, just in time to counter Intel's Sandy Bridge barrage. The press release announcing AMD Fusion APU Era Begins lauds the graphics portion of its APU, which has...

Gigabyte preceded AMD's announcement yesterday in unveiling the E-350 APU (Zacate) powered GA-E350N-USB3 mini-ITX all-in-one motherboard. This is obviously aimed at the base of the pyramid, unlike the Intel i5-2500K we posted our examination of 36 hours ago, but the new AMD APUs look like they have the potential to transform the sector.

In our first piece on Sandy Bridge aka LGA1155, we examine Intel's new high-end integrated graphics chip (if there is such a thing), GMA HD 3000. It has inherent advantages from residing on the same die as the CPU, and it also has a clever dynamic clock generator

“Finally Intel’s Sandy Bridge is here! I’m sure you have heard about it a lot in the past few months. This new CPU architecture is still built on the 32nm process and is still branded Core i3, i5 and i7 so what really is new? These new processors are supposed to be more efficient, have the best integrated graphics ever from Intel and they are to be priced quite competitively. This of course is not an Intel Sandy Bridge review, this is a CyberPower system review! They have really built an awesome Sandy Bridge system for us and we can’t wait to check it out! Read on to see what Sa ndy Bridge really can do and how awesome this system is!"

As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel 6 series, codenamed Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the SATA ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest second-generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipments of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip, which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.

Beginners Guide: Install/Remove Intel Socket LGA1156 CPU and HeatsinkNov 18 | Beginners GuidesRating:Installing a socket LGA1156 Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processor into a fresh motherboard as part of a new PC build can be intimidating step, particularly if you've never worked inside a computer before. PCSTATS received a few emails from novice readers on this subject, so we thought it worthwhile to lay out the steps for you in this Beginners Guide.